4 dead, including priest and suspect, in Florida attacks that also injured officers

A retired Catholic priest and his sister were among the dead after a man apparently went on a rampage in Palm Bay, Florida, on Sunday, also killing his grandfather and injuring two officers before police fatally shot him, officials said Monday.

Officers responded to a domestic disturbance call at a northeast Palm Bay home and confronted the gunman, ultimately killing him, Palm Bay Police Chief Mariano Augello said.

After the shooting, police found the body of a man identified as the suspect's grandfather, Augello said. His name hasn’t been released.

The bodies of the priest and his sister were found Monday as police went to another home as part of the investigation, Augello said.

The priest was identified as the Rev. Robert “Bob” Hoeffner and his sister as Sally Hoeffner, the Rev. John Noonan, the bishop of Orlando, said in a statement Monday.

At a news conference Monday afternoon, Augello said that the suspect had a relationship with the two but that its nature wasn't exactly clear. The suspect was identified as Brandon Kapas, 24.

Officers were called around 2:07 p.m. Sunday to a residence where a birthday party had been taking place. They arrived at the house 12 minutes later and were told by the suspect's uncle that Kapas may have had firearms in the vehicle he used to get there, Augello said.

After officers arrived, the suspect walked “hastily” toward the vehicle, and at least one officer used a Taser, Augello said. Its probes, if they struck him, had no effect, he said.

At least one officer then got into an altercation with Kapas, and gunfire erupted, Augello said. The suspect “broke free” and was ultimately shot and killed by officers, he said.

Augello said Sunday that the suspect ran away after officers were shot and that police pursued him before they shot him.

The grandfather was found dead at the location of the disturbance, and investigators found “an arsenal of weapons” in the car, Augello said.

The two injured officers were expected to survive, he said. One had surgery Monday and was released; the other was expected to undergo surgery before being released, he said. The weren’t publicly identified.

On Monday, investigators tracked the ownership or registration of the vehicle the suspect drove Sunday to an address where the priest and his sister were found fatally shot, Augello said.

Noonan, of the Diocese of Orlando, said the pair were killed Sunday.

"Throughout his priesthood, Father Hoeffner served the people of God with compassion and humility," he said in Monday's statement. "We will miss his grace-filled presence. We know he and his sister are received by the Lord with mercy and love."

Augello praised his officers as heroic in the face the life-threatening violence and called the suspect "potentially an active shooter" because so much firepower was found in the vehicle he used.

The motive is unknown. "We don't know what sparked it," Augello said.

He said Kapas had a "criminal history" that included driving under the influence and resisting arrest. It wasn't clear whether he was referring to allegations or convictions.

Palm Bay is about 70 miles southeast of Orlando.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com